Gayle Ackroyd
With the release of her long-awaited CD, Anything But Blue, distributed nationally by Festival Records, Gayle Ackroyd has established herself as one of the most compelling artists in the Canadian roots music scene. A gifted songwriter and accomplished vocalist and guitarists, Gayle's music encompasses blues, folk, country, zydeco, southern soul and rock 'n' roll influences, filtered through a distinctive personal style that Lennie Stoute of the Toronto Star has described as "a whole lot of tender, and a little bit tough."

Gayle's country-born, city-bred sound comes naturally. As a young teen growing up on a southern Ontario dairy farm, she learned a few guitar chords from her sister, so she could emulated her musical heroes - Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. At age seventeen she enrolled in Sheridan College's Musical Theatre program where she gained command of her strong, expressive voice. Gayle's first professional job was singing back-up for Cliff Edwards (of the Bells), followed by tours with various country bands. A Top 40 duo gig deepened her understanding of song structure and also gave her an appreciation of the value of consistent vocal technique and solid meter.

Eventually tiring of performing other people's music, Gayle set about developing her songwriting skills through determined self-study. Respected as a lyricist with a finely-honed ability to catch the subtle emotional nuances of life's ups and downs, Gayle has hosted numerous songwriting workshops, including the TV series "It Started With A Song" on Graham Cable. Awards include a Top Ten placement for "Train of Love" in the radio station Mix 99 FM's songwriting competition, and Toronto Arts Council and FACTOR grants that allowed her to spend time writing in Nashville.

An engaging performer who embraces her audience, Gayle has appeared on festival and nightclub stages across Canada, including the Calgary Stampede, Mariposa, Harbourfront Centre's Water's Edge Cafe, the Toronto Blues Society's Women's Blues Revue, the C.N.E., Manitoulin Island Folk Festival, the Hamilton Blues Festival, Albert's Hall in Toronto, and Lucille's in Dartmouth. Radio and television highlights include CBC Radio's "Later The Same Day", "The Dini Petty Show", and "Shades of Blue", a documentary on Canadian blues artists seen nationally on CBC-TV.

Gayle's discography includes the single "Don't Mess Up A Good Thing" which made the charts in Europe and North America, and her critically acclaimed 1994 release, Hard Luck Town, featuring "Hot Breeze Blowin'", which received airplay in 17 European countries.

On Anything But Blue, the thirteen tunes producer Mark Fournier chose from a pool of forty Ackroyd originals display the full range of Gayle's creative force. The recording features Ed Kapala on guitars, Mark Mariash on drums, Drew Birston on bass and Gayle on acoustic guitar, with guest musicans Chris Whiteley, Dennis Keldie and producer Fournier adding spice to this potent musical brew. With any luck, Anything But Blue will bring this passionate and original artist the national audience she deserves.
Anything But Blue
 Released 1997

Anything But Blue
CD $15.00 ON SALE AGAIN SEPTEMEBER 8, 2003

1. You Turn Me On
2. Train Of Love
3. Passing Through
4. I Am Yours And You Are Mine
5. Saturday Night On Bourbon Street
6. You Can Lean On My Shoulder
7. Anything But Blue
8. What Would A Good Girl Do
9. These Blues Coming Over Me
10. Next Time
11. Slow Burn
12. Squeaky Couch
For more information you can visit Gayle's Home Page